This post is for all the first responders, interventionists, the parents, the best friends, the crisis line workers, the emergency room staff, and the unsung heroes who give and give and give…you must give to yourself so you have capacity to give from. Your thing may not be thai massage, oil massage, aromatherapy, or pedicures. Or maybe it is. The art of self care is to discover what refills your capacity. The same thing doesn’t work for everyone. But if it is healthy, life giving, and makes you feel like you have more to give than you did before, that’s self care. Need some ideas? Here’s a list. Have some ideas? Leave us a comment below.
- Read
- Dance while nobody’s watching
- Sit with your feet up, close your eyes, and listen to your breath
- Float in an epsom salt water tank
- Go for a slow walk in a forest. What five things in nature can you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, sense?
- Get your hands dirty. Plant something in your garden, on in an indoor pot.
- Go for a run
- Smile for two minutes
- Sit in front of a fire and watch the flames dance. If it’s a wood fireplace listen to how the wood crackles.
- Eat something fresh
- Mark off a day on the calendar just for you
- Give yourself permission to say yes when you want to, and no when you don’t
- Walk in the snow. Enjoy the festive lights.
- Write a gratitude list. Include five things you appreciate about yourself.
- Stretch
- Watch a good movie.
- Take a nap. If you can’t sleep, rest.
- Enjoy a glass of lemon water or herbal tea.
- Go for a bike ride, a stroll, or a skate.
- Moisturize
- Journal
- Spend time with a good friend
- Take a bath
- Diffuse essential oils
- Unplug